Australian-born lager Foster’s – one of the most loved beer brands in the UK – is looking to put the fun back into Friday with a major on-trade campaign featuring the brand’s well-loved Aussie agony uncles Brad and Dan.

The campaign, Foster’s Friday, gives drinkers the chance to win £1,000 in cash plus other prizes of Foster’s merchandise through an instant win scratch card mechanic.

The activation links to Foster’s new £6m ATL campaign which launched last month on TV, and saw the return of the favourite Aussie duo: Brad and Dan. Using the brand tagline of ‘Good Call’, Foster’s Friday rewards purchase with a scratch card which details humorous dilemmas, similar to those posed in the TV ads. Three scratch panels on the cards offer possible answers. Correct answers, or a ‘Good Call’ offer a unique code to enter online to win cash, or instant wins of beach themed merchandise, such as headbands, T-shirt, or sunglasses.

Kicking off on 3^rd May and running for a month, Foster’s Friday will feature in more than 7,000 outlets  around the UK. The campaign, which was devised by creative agency Space, supplies a promotional kit with all the materials and assets necessary to run the campaign, including prizes, scratchcards, beer mats, posters, beer jugs, and staff T-shirts. A tailored version runs in more than 700 Marston’s pubs.

Grace Shelton-Wills, Brand Manager at Heineken UK, said: “Foster’s remains one of the UK’s best loved beer brands, but recent On Trade support has focused on its functional benefits, such as its great refreshment. Foster’s Friday brings back the emotional engagement in the shape of Brad and Dan’s light hearted Aussie wisdom.  The activation gives outlets an opportunity to drive footfall into their pub or bar at the end of the week on a Friday, a key occasion of the UK On-Trade.”

Classic Lager makes up 60% of all draught lager, and one in every two pints of beer consumed in the UK is Foster’s, John Smith’s, Guinness, Carling or Carlsberg. Thanks to its broad appeal, Foster’s delivers two in five pints of lager poured in the average pub where it’s stocked, reinforcing the importance of Maximising the Core – a Heineken category driver focused on adding value and delivering quality. Foster’s is brewed with low bitterness and low malt to deliver a clean, accessible taste profile designed to refresh the thirstiest men on earth.

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Foster’s is giving consumers the chance to win a unique trip to “the thirstiest place on earth” – Ayers Rock, Australia – in an on-pack summer promotion in partnership with music and discovery app, Shazam.

Running until August 31st, the on-pack prize draw means Foster’s fans who buy a multipack and ‘Shazam a Can’ could win a variety of items including chill disks, chiller seats and slings, as well as well as the ultimate trip to “the thirstiest place on earth”.

Shoppers just have to scan the Shazam icon on the can with their mobile devices to enter the competition. They will be notified instantly if they have won one of the thousands of instant prizes.

The winner of the trip to Australia will be selected via a prize draw at the end of the campaign.

Foster’s says it is activating its “For the thirsty” platform throughout the summer months to drive penetration at a time when shoppers are looking for crisp, cool refreshment.

Toby Lancaster, Category and Shopper Marketing Director for Heineken, says: “With 52% of beer and cider value sales taking place over key seasonal periods, our on-pack promotion throughout the summer offers a great opportunity for retailers at a time when shoppers are looking for crisp, cool refreshment. Activating on-can means that we that we are able to cover a greater number of our SKUs, incentivising purchases and driving additional sales for retailers over the summer months. We are very much looking forward to revealing the lucky winner at the end of August.”

Foster’s on-pack promotion is available across 4 x 440ml, 10 x 440ml, 12 x 440ml and 18 x 440ml can pack formats and also Foster’s single 440ml and 568ml cans.

Heineken is the UK’s leading pub, cider and beer business. The company owns around 2,900 pubs as part of its Star Pubs & Bars business, and employs almost 2,200 people. Its portfolio of brands includes Foster’s, Heineken, Strongbow, Desperados, Kronenbourg1664, John Smith’s, Bulmers, Amstel, Birra Moretti and Old Mout, as well as a range of niche and speciality beers.

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UK consumers are being offered the chance to win a trip for four adults to watch a top Australian domestic cricket match at the famous Melbourne Cricket Ground, courtesy of Foster’s beer, the Official Lager of the England and Wales Cricket Board.

The trip includes flights, the match tickets and accommodation for seven nights in a 4* hotel.

There are also hundreds of instant win prizes including pairs of England NatWest International T20 or Royal London One-Day International match tickets, England Cricket Adidas polo shirts, cricket kits (including cricket bat, wickets and ball) and Foster’s branded sports shirts.

To enter, consumers outside Northern Ireland have to buy a promotional multipack of Foster’s cans, and then input a seventeen digit alphanumeric code found on the cardboard outer on the relevant page on the Foster’s website. There is a No Purchase Necessary entry route for Northern Irish consumers. People can enter once a day and 20 times maximum over the course of the promotion, but have to have a new code every time they enter. The competition started at the end of August and runs until December 31^st 2016.

The prizes must be taken in December 2017 or January 2018 – the exact times will depend on when relevant fixtures are being played in Melbourne.

Craig Clarkson, Off-Trade and Category Director at Heineken, says: “The promotion offers shoppers the chance to win fantastic prizes to experience the Australian spirit and can-do attitude of the brand. Building on the visibility that Foster’s has achieved throughout the summer, these packs will drive sales of one of the UK’s best-selling lagers.”

Heineken employs around 2,000 people in the UK and is Britain’s leading cider and beer business. It owns around 1,250 pubs through its Star Pubs & Bars business and its brand portfolio includes Foster’s, Heineken, Strongbow, Desperados, Kronenbourg1664, John Smith’s and Bulmers, plus a full range of niche and speciality brands.

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Heineken has released a humorous new TV advert for Foster’s, ahead of an on-pack promotion hitting shelves from next week.

Titled ‘Drycleaner’, the new advert tells the tongue-in-cheek story of a young Australian who works in a drycleaners while trying to decide what to do with his life. He tries on various uniforms that customers have dropped off for cleaning, to see which career suits him best. At the end of the advert, whilst chatting to a group of fireman and dressed as one of them, he is offered a free round of Foster’s for him and his mates.

The final frame reads ‘For The Thirsty’, inviting consumers to join the millions of Foster’s drinkers who are thirsty for life, adventure and great stories.

The new TV campaign, which started airing in the UK this week, will raise awareness amongst the target audience ahead of the busy summer trading period. The campaign will also include digital activity comprising social media and VOD.

The new advert follows the brand’s recent announcement about its sponsorship of the England and Wales Cricket Board, which will also drive demand for the brand.

Using the TV advert as inspiration, from April 25^th, all Foster’s mid packs in the Off-Trade will also feature an on-pack competition, offering shoppers the chance to win ‘Epic Experiences’.

The top-level prizes are based on the characters from the new TV ad, and each pack contains a winner from one of the three prize-tiers.

Entry level prizes include £1 off a four pack of Foster’s Rocks with top tier prizes involving Epic Experiences in the UK or abroad for the winner and a few lucky friends. Experiences include learning to fly in Las Vegas or learning to surf on Bondi Beach.

Shoppers are directed to the Foster’s website, www.fosters.co.uk/epicexperiences, to enter pack details and find out if they have won.

Ifeoma Dozie, Brand Director, Heineken, says: “Fans of Foster’s are thirsty for stories to tell their friends so we want to offer them the chance to win great experiences they can share with their mates. From its very beginning in 1888, Foster’s has been the can-do brew and this campaign and on-pack promotion will inspire consumers to pick up a mid-pack so they have the chance to win.”

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Foster’s lager is to be the Official Lager of England Cricket, having signed a two-year deal with the England and Wales Cricket Board. The partnership sees Foster’s return to sports sponsorship for the first time in a decade.

The major new sponsorship deal will be supported by a nationwide campaign appealing to cricket fans across the country throughout the summer. Foster’s will be developing mechanics to drive rate of sale and footfall for the trade, giving consumers the chance to win a range of cricket-related prizes including match tickets.

The two year deal includes all international T20 matches, One Day Internationals and International Test Matches. These include this summer’s home international series against Sri Lanka and Pakistan and next season’s tours by West Indies and South Africa.

The ECB logo will be included on all Foster’s packaging later in the year, and the beer will be activated in trade from July 11^th to the end of August.

In addition, there will be bespoke activations happening at selected cricket grounds throughout June, July and August. Further details will be revealed later this year.

David Forde, Managing Director of Heineken, which owns Foster’s, says: “We’re thrilled to team up with England Cricket. It’s been a decade since we last sponsored the sport in the UK and what a time to start again! England are playing superbly and the popularity of all forms of international cricket is soaring. Cricket has one of the widest fan bases of any sport and Foster’s is one of the best-selling lagers in the country – it’s a winning combination for our customers, consumers and us.”

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Foster’s has marked the launch of its Foster’s Helluva Tour TV series with a PR stunt featuring a Bedford Rascal camper van being lifted 2,000 feet over the Shropshire countryside.

The Heineken-owned brand ran a UK roadshow this summer offering members of the public the chance to be cast in the show, with a mysterious touring telephone box popping up in key cities up and down the country as part of a campaign to find four intrepid travellers.

The series documents the epic 17,000 mile journey undertaken by the four (all total strangers) in a tiny van, driving from the UK to Melbourne, Australia, the birthplace of the beer, where they will celebrate with a pint.

The Foster’s Helluva Tour TV series has been created by adam&eveDDB and Channel 4, in collaboration with Alleycats and  adventure travel specialists The Adventurists, the company behind challenges including The Mongol Rally and the World Cycle Race.

The series is being shown on digital platform All 4 this month as part of the Foster’s Original Comedy on 4 sponsorship, with extra footage and behind the scenes content available on Foster’s social channels (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram).

It will include 10 five-minute long episodes filmed through a mix of fixed-rig cameras in the van and video diaries from the four, who will be taking part in unusual cultural customs and challenges along the way.

Ifeoma Dozie, Brand Director at Heineken UK, says: “We’re really excited about the Foster’s Helluva Tour, a unique adventure not just for those in the campervan but also for those tracking their progress on television and at home. This is an epic, once-in-a-lifetime journey – and our awesome foursome, with their ‘why the hell not’ attitude, will have experiences to remember forever.”

Simon Wells, Partnership Controller, Funded Content & Creative Solutions at Channel 4 adds: “This ambitious new branded shorts series provides Foster’s with an exciting new way to engage with Channel 4 viewers through the creation of high-quality and entertaining content.”

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